


practice makes perfect

by dinosar



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, but then happy lev, how does yaku deal w this kid tbh, im literally the worst at tags im sorry, sad lev, the description makes it sound kinda angsty but it's actually not bc theyre dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 22:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3826906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosar/pseuds/dinosar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>lev wishes this could last forever. yaku reminds him that it can't. but it's okay, because it doesn't have to be the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	practice makes perfect

**Author's Note:**

> it's 5pm and i've been awake since 7pm yesterday haahahahahahah fuck my life
> 
> i was on rpgens and i got one abt yaku and lev havin to wait out a storm together so this happened idk
> 
> this is my first time writing yakulev so im sorry if it's bad, i just have a mighty thirst for yakulev tbh
> 
> im so t ired

"Yaku-san, one more time please! I think I'm really getting the hang of it!"

Yaku sighs, wiping the sweat from his brow. Lev had begged him to help him work on his receives—and so here they are two hours after practice had ended, Yaku on a ladder spiking balls to Lev who stands on the other side of the net. The lanky first year is drenched with sweat, exhaustion clear in the sag of his body, but his green eyes still shine with determination. Yaku has to give him some credit—the kid is actually pretty dedicated to his mission.

He's still _awful_ at receiving, though.

"One more, and then we're hitting the showers," Yaku tells him firmly. "You're getting even sloppier because you're tired, so continuing after this would be a waste of time. You really need to focus on remembering to position yourself the way I told you to."

"Right, Yaku-san! I'll do my best!" he replies, eager to please as he always seems to be when it comes to Yaku. The older boy doesn't understand why he seems to want his approval so much, but he supposes it doesn't matter. He's harmless, after all―and it's not as if he minds, if he's being honest.

Taking a deep breath, Yaku tosses the ball into the air and feels his hand slap against it, his palm tingling at the impact. It flies at Lev, and Yaku's eyes widen as it flies upward and smacks him in the face as he tries to receive it. The impact causes the younger teen to fall backwards, and the brunet wastes no time in jumping off the ladder so that he can see if he's alright.

"Lev, you idiot! You had your arms angled upward too far! Are you alright?" he asks, kneeling beside the taller boy and helping him to sit up.

Lev blinks, looking dazed but otherwise alright. "I'm...I'm fine, Yaku-san!" As he says it, blood begins to trickle from his nose. Yaku gasps at the sight of it, hissing at him to stay right where he is while he runs off to get a towel.

This kid is going to give him an ulcer, he knows it.

He finds a towel, hurrying back to Lev to gently press it to his nose. The white-haired boy winces, and Yaku mutters "Don't be a baby." There's blood all down the front of his shirt, and Yaku represses the urge to sigh.

"What am I going to do with you," he muses aloud, shaking his head. "You need to be more careful, we don't need our future ace injuring himself all the time."

Lev's eyes sparkle at that, and Yaku is sure that the only part of that sentence that he heard was "future ace." The kid has a tendency to hear only what he wants to hear.

"You really think I can become the ace, Yaku-san?" he asks, green eyes bright. They make Yaku a little weak, and he concentrates on the towel he's pressing to the other boy's face instead as he inwardly curses himself.

Lev's an idiot, but he's a pretty idiot. It drives Yaku up the wall—someone this annoying shouldn't be allowed to be so attractive.

"Not if you don't smarten up," he replies, sighing. "Your receives are awful—you can't be an ace if you can't receive."

Lev just grins. "But I have you to help me with that, Yaku-san! With you teaching me, I'm sure I'll master receiving in no time!"

Yaku bites his lip. "Lev...this is my last year. After the spring tournament...I'm not gonna be around to help you anymore. You know that, _right_?"

Lev's eyes widen. "Oh...right...I guess I kinda forgot about that, haha..." His broad shoulders sag a little. "That just means I'll have to master it while you're still here, right? That should be easy!"

_He looks sad_ , Yaku thinks to himself. _Is he going to miss me that much?_ "For an idiot like _you_ , it would take a miracle," he teases, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yaku-san, you're so mean!"

Yaku laughs, pulling the towel away—the bleeding has already stopped. He stands, ruffling the younger teen's hair. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, we need to shower and leave, it's getting late," he says, extending a hand to him. Lev takes it, and Yaku almost grunts and how heavy he is as he helps him up.

They head to the showers together, choosing showers on opposite sides. Yaku expects Lev to talk his ear off like he always does, but he's unusually silent. He doesn't think about it too hard, though—he figures Lev is just tired.

The silence stretches as they dress, and it's starting to worry Yaku. He wonders if Lev is actually okay—did he hit his head, maybe?

As soon as they step back out into the main gym, they hear it. The sound of rain pounding against the metal of the roof, a staccato beat that makes Yaku swear as he rushes over to a window. He's too short to really see outside, however.

He feels a hand pat his head. "Let me look, Yaku-san. You're a little too short," he says with a smile.

Again with the insults to his height! Annoyed, Yaku digs his hand into his side, causing the taller boy to yelp.

"How bad is it out there?" he asks, voice steely.

"It's pouring," he wheezes, clutching his side. "Your fingers and _really_ bony, Yaku-san," he tacks on, a touch of a whine in his voice.

"You deserved it," he answers with a shrug, dropping his bag beside him and flopping down to the floor. There was no way he was going out in rain that bad.

"What are you doing, Yaku-san?"

Yaku stares up at him, one eyebrow raised. "My house is far away, I'm not walking there in rain like that. I didn't bring an umbrella with me."

"You don't like the rain?" Lev questions, sitting down beside him.

The brunet shrugs. "I don't dislike it, I'd just prefer not to walk home in it. I don't wanna get sick."

Lev hums. "I guess that makes sense. I should probably wait too, right? After all, I can't get sick if I'm gonna be the ace! It would cut down my practice time, and every moment I get to practice with Yaku-san is precious!" he says matter-of-factly, turning his head to grin at the shorter boy.

Yaku snorts. "Why do you like practicing with me so much? The others can help you just as much as I can, you know. Not that I really mind helping you or anything, I just...why do you wanna be around someone with a temper like mine?" he asks, genuinely curious. It's something that's been on his mind for a long time.

Lev doesn't even hesitate in answering. "It has to be you, Yaku-san! You're the libero, so like...you're the master of receiving! You're really nice, too—even when you yell at me or hit me, I know it's only 'cause I did something dumb. There's no one I'd rather get help from!"

"Lev..." He's...touched. Lev is so earnest that he can't even doubt that his words are true, and it's honestly nice to know that someone looks up to him that much. Still, there's something that bothers him. "I appreciate that you like being around me that much, but like I said earlier, I'm not gonna be here forever. You should start trying to get close to the other first years and the second years—they're gonna be the ones who are with you next year, after all," he says gently.

Lev's brow furrows. "Yaku-san...are you saying you don't want to help me practice anymore? If it's because of something I did—"

"Hey, I never said that," Yaku cuts in, laughing a little. "Slow down, okay? I'm still going to help you, but I just think that once in a while it'd be good if you asked one of the others to help you. I'm sure Tora would help if you asked, you know."

"It wouldn't be the same," Lev insists. "Yaku-san, I want..." He pauses, looking away. "I want to spend as much time with you as I can before you have to leave," he finishes, voice gone quiet.

Yaku's brown eyes go soft. "Oh, Lev...are you really going to miss me that much?"

Lev nods vigorously. "I'll miss the other senpais too, but...you're special, Yaku-san. It's not going to be the same without you. Who else is going to yell at me when you're gone?"

_He's not supposed to look sad_. That's all Yaku can think about when he sees those green eyes devoid of their usual spark. It looks unnatural, almost.

Without really even thinking about it, Yaku wraps his arms around Lev and pulls him close, ignoring the confused "Yaku-san?" that leaves his mouth.

"I'll come and visit from time to time, alright? Someone's gotta make sure you're staying in line, after all," he promises, voice soft.

He feels Lev's arms slowly wrap around his middle, the younger boy's face pressing into his shoulder. "Yaku-san, I don't want you to go," he whispers.

Yaku holds him tighter. "I have to, Lev," he murmurs. "Everything has to end at some point, you know?"

"I don't want it to end. I don't want any more time to pass—can't we just stay here forever?"

Gently, Yaku pushes him away. There are tears in his green eyes, and Yaku wants to fix that. He never wanted to to upset Lev this much—he has to fix it.

Slowly, giving Lev time to back away, he leans in so that their faces are maybe an inch apart. His thumbs swipe at the skin under the younger teen's eyes, collecting the tears there, and he lets their noses touch. "I'm not going far away," he assures him. "I'm going to university here in Tokyo, okay? If you're really going to miss me _that_ much, then I guess I'll just have to come around so much that you get sick of me."

He watches Lev swallow hard. "I could never get sick of you, Yaku-san."

Sensing that it's clearly welcome, Yaku closes the small distance between them and kisses him softly, locking his hands together behind the younger boy's neck. Lev makes a soft sound against his lips, and Yaku wonders what he's even doing kissing this dumb loudmouth first year. Somewhere along the way, the brunet had gotten more attached to him than he'd ever meant to, and finally it's turned into this.

_I'm so screwed_ , he thinks to himself as Lev tugs him closer, their chests pressing together. Thunder booms outside, the pounding of the rain a constant sound, and at some point their mouths open to allow their tongues to lazily tangle. Lev is kind of sloppy, but Yaku expected him to be so it doesn't really matter to him. His enthusiasm makes up for his lack of skill, much like how he is with volleyball, and it's honestly kind of endearing.

Like volleyball, it's just something he's going to have to practice.

They're quiet when they separate. Yaku leans back against the wall and Lev's head rests on his shoulder, his body a warm weight against his side. They listen to the pounding of the rain and the claps of thunder, the sounds almost soothing.

"I'm sorry I made you sad," Yaku finally says a few moments later as his hand slides through Lev's still-wet hair. "I just want you to be okay when I'm not on the team anymore, y'know? You have other teammates, Lev, teammates who you need to rely on and who need to rely on you. You're gonna need their help if you wanna be the ace."

"I understand, Yaku-san," the white-haired boy replies, nuzzling against his shoulder. "I'll start asking the others to help me practice too, okay? Since we're boyfriends now which means I can see you anytime."

Yaku chokes. "H-hey, don't just assume I'm your boyfriend without asking me or being asked!" he exclaims, face reddening.

Lev sits up, tilting his head. "You _kissed_ me, Yaku-san. I'm pretty sure that makes you my boyfriend."

Yaku groans, covering his face. "What am I getting myself into...?" he mumbles.

"I really like you a lot, so I promise I'll be a good boyfriend, Yaku-san!"

The older boy pulls his head down onto his shoulder once more, face even redder than before.

His boyfriend is an idiot. Maybe it makes him an idiot for liking him, but he supposes there are worse things to be.

When the rain finally stops an hour later, Lev insists on walking him home, arguing that "It's what boyfriends do, isn't it?" Yaku doesn't have the energy to tell him no, and so they head out together. It's dark by now and there aren't a whole lot of people around, so Yaku doesn't complain when Lev reaches for his hand.

"I didn't realize it would be so hard to hold your hand, Yaku-san," he muses. "Guess our height difference is really big, huh?"

Yaku feels his eye twitch. He twists Lev's arm, glaring. "If it's so hard to do then don't do it," he mutters.

Lev only holds his hand tighter, rubbing at his shoulder with his other hand. "I want to, though. I like it," he tells him, smiling down at him.

Yaku sighs and shakes his head, feeling himself smile. It's impossible for him to stay mad at Lev, and he thinks that might be a problem. "I like it, too," he admits, giving the larger hand in his own a squeeze.

When they arrive at Yaku's home, they pause at the door. Lev seems reluctant to go, but it's a school night—they both have homework to do, and it's already late enough.

"Can I call you before bed, Yaku-san?" the taller boy asks, looking almost bashful.

Yaku smiles, chuckling softly. "I suppose that would be alright," he replies, wrapping his arms around Lev's waist in a loose hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Lev seems to hesitate for a moment, and the sight is strangely cute. It's probably because he usually rushes into everything without thinking.

He makes up his mind, however, ducking down to quickly peck the brunet on the lips. "See you tomorrow, Yaku-san!" he says quickly before rushing off. Yaku smiles as he watches him go, feeling stupidly happy.

He's only just left, but Yaku already can't wait for him to call later.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I SHOULDNT WRITE WHEN I HAVENT SLEPT IN ALMOST 24 HOURS
> 
> anyway get @ me on [tumblr](http://nehkoma.tumblr.com) and talk t o me abt the dumb tokyo cats


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